Canada’s forests are a vital part of the global carbon cycle. They remove large amounts of atmospheric carbon through photosynthesis and store it in biomass (tree trunks, branches, leaves, roots, etc.) and soils. Carbon is released when this organic matter burns or decays. Forests are considered as either carbon sinks or carbon sources based on the balance between carbon absorption and emission.
Download How does Canada report greenhouse gas emissions from wildland fire (1.08Mb, pdf)
Every year, Canada submits its National Inventory Report (NIR) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This report details greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes from human activities on managed land that impact climate change using an internationally agreed-upon reporting format. Estimates of emissions from severe natural disturbances on managed land, such as wildland fires and forest pest outbreaks, are reported separately to clarify trends and account for yearly variability.
Estimates from wildland fires include:
- immediate emissions of GHGs such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrous oxide from combustion
- delayed post-fire emissions from long-term changes to soil carbon and decaying organic matter
- post-fire carbon storage through natural regeneration
Emissions from wildland fires in Canada’s unmanaged forests are not reported due to a lack of data and access to these remote areas. Efforts are underway to improve our understanding of this information.
Post-fire carbon storage from natural regeneration is reported separately from emissions from human activities in Canada’s NIR until the stand reaches commercial maturity.
Climate change is changing the frequency and severity of wildland fires. Fires are occurring in new locations and outside of the typical wildland fire season (April through September). More intense fires are burning larger areas. Since 1990, the amount of annual burned area has been on the rise, with lightning strikes being the primary cause of ignition. Correspondingly, emissions from wildland fires in Canada’s managed forests have also increased and are expected to continue this upward trend.
How Canada estimates wildland fire emissions
Canada maintains and operates the National Forest Carbon Monitoring, Accounting and Reporting System (NFCMARS) to support GHG emissions estimation in Canada’s managed forests, including emissions from wildland fires. NFCMARS integrates data from provincial and territorial forest inventories and wildland fire event data for carbon dynamics modelling. It uses the Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM-CFS3) to simulate the state and transition of carbon following wildland fire in forests and to the atmosphere.
The type and amount of GHGs emitted from wildland fires are estimated by modelling how different components (branches, trunks, roots, leaves, litter) burn.
Improving wildland fire and carbon science, and monitoring and emissions reporting
Fire is an important natural disturbance that influences the structure, growth and renewal of many ecosystems. Some boreal species rely on it for their survival. Fire significantly influences forest carbon dynamics as it immediately
- releases sequestered carbon as GHGs
- alters the age structure of forests
Scientists at the Canadian Forest Service are improving our understanding of wildland fire and its influence on carbon, and are enhancing wildland fire emissions reporting.
- WildFireSat, the world’s first fully dedicated wildland fire monitoring system will provide detailed near-immediate fire analysis and improve emissions measurement.
- The capability of NFCMARS to estimate GHG emissions and include more anthropogenic and natural disturbance types is being improved.
- The Wildfire Resilient Futures Initiative supports collaborative wildland fire research projects and mobilizes Indigenous fire knowledge.
- The Blueprint for Wildland Fire Science in Canada outlines a 10-year strategic plan for enhancing wildland fire research.
- The Blueprint for Forest Carbon Science in Canada outlines research goals aimed at better understanding and predicting changes in natural disturbance regimes, and the impacts on carbon pools, transfers and fluxes.
Learn more
- Wildland fire research
- Wildland fire monitoring and reporting tools
- Reporting Canada’s forest greenhouse gas emissions and removals
- Forest carbon emissions and removals (State of Canada’s Forests annual report)